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Sunday, September 8, 2013

Dragon Con Cosplay 2013

Wow! I can't believe it's been more than a week since I've posted, but my friends get it. My followers know that last weekend I was in a total immersion Dragon*Con experience...and the week since has been a recovery process. You know what I mean when I say fun can be much more exhausting than work!

Dragon*Con 2013

I've also been editing photos...lots and lots of photos! One day, the day of the Dragon*Con Parade, I shot 1,226 pictures! That's a lot by most standards, but not so many compared to some Dragon*Con conventioneers. I made so many photos that I'll be making 3-4 posts to cover this year's Con...but the bulk of photos will be the wanderlust ATLANTA Facebook Page. There are some really fun ones and some that evoke a jaw-dropping "What in the world?!"

Dragon*Con 2013

This year's costumes were nothing less than remarkable...and more fun than a Risa vacation. At least the word on the street is that there's an element of Risa-esque fun at Dragon*Con. Who could blame anyone...a lot of the costumes are just plain hot!These gorgeous dandelions were phenomenal and fortunately the Con was wind-free. In that vein, I'm blown away every year (this was my fourth Dragon*Con) by the time, artistry, and fun that goes into the Con's cosplay...truly blown away!

Dragon*Con 2013

At Dragon*Con, cosplay is head-to-toe and covers media from cinema to comic books, gaming to history...it's too the point that you almost feel embarrassed for the folks who didn't know and opted for a drug store Halloween costume. But, bless their hearts, the most important thing at Dragon*Con is to have fun and everyone I saw was doing exactly that.

Dragon*Con 2013

This year's Dragon*Con footprint covered five host hotels, two floors at Americas Mart, 4,000 hours of panel programming, an Atlanta Braves and Georgia Aquarium events, and of course the take-over-downtown Parade. Actually, there was way more than even all that!There are various costume contests throughout the Con, but some of the best cosplay viewing is in the hotel lobbies. And these folks are some of the nicest you'll ever meet! They're every one friendly, smiling, and wiling to pose for photos or make photos with conventioneers, as well as passersby when traveling between hotels.I understand the coolness of being asked for those photos...when I dressed as a Vulcan a few years ago, I was asked to pose for quite a few photos and that was so much fun!

With Disney's buying Star Wars, Star Wars was huge this year. There were more light sabers than you've ever seen in a single gathering in Atlanta...more even than at your local department store during the holidays, on a new film year!The Star Wars Costume Contest was great fun this year. The grand prize winner was "Disney Princess Leia" and one of my favorite winnersof a category was "Darth Waiter"—hilarious!

Dragon*Con 2013

Watching the mingling of themes is brilliant! "The Fifth Element" with Bruce Willis and Milla Jovovich (love her!) and features "Ruby Rodd!" (Chris Tucker) who was at the Con with a flight attendant, is a favorite film. Then there was the cast of Cats...who were compelled to, upon sight, immediately create a fantastic photo op. Do you think the leopard print catsuit was the catalyst?

Dragon*Con 2013

Alright...the comic book characters, cinemas favorites, and zombies are all brilliant, but there's even more. Dragon*Con has a damned impressive science track (and other fan tracks)...and why wouldn't that run over into the Con's cosplay? The costumes are brilliant, I tell you...brilliant. And some of them are real artifacts!

Dragon*Con 2013

And to all those who call Dragon*Con a "geeks and freaks show"...have another look. It's also damned sexy! Now I bet you wish you'd not sounded so much like a self-esteem-challenged bully and actually went to the Con and just had some fun with the rest of us. Just sayin'.

Dragon*Con 2013

I think what impresses me most about the cosplay at Dragon*Con is that the most brilliant costumes are handmade. There's a LOT of talent at this Con. I'm ecstatic that Dragon*Con is growing in popularity, but I do hope that it'll retain its wonderful uniqueness. We're 27 years in...and I can hardly wait to see what next year and the 30th anniversary bring!Okay, maybe the best part is that you get to attend a convention and not have to report anything to the boss when you get back to the office. That's actually a great thing! Just sayin'.Alright, consider my exhaustion dissipated and recovery complete. Now, you head over to the wanderlust ATLANTA Facebook Page to see dozens more fantastic photos! And keep an eye out for posts on celebrity-spotting and the Dragon*Con Parade.